In Conversation: Liza Sylvestre and Sarah Hayden

Join artist Liza Sylvestre in conversation with Dr Sarah Hayden for an in-depth discussion around Sylvestre’s John Hansard Gallery exhibition, asweetsea.

Having collaborated for over a year to realise this exciting exhibition of new work, Liza and Sarah will explore the themes and ideas of asweetsea in this hour-long conversation and audience Q&A.

asweetsea explores what it means to communicate. The first solo show by artist Liza Sylvestre outside of the United States, asweetsea comprises newly commissioned moving image, together with drawings, sculptures and audio works. As an artist who is deaf, and whose child and partner are both hearing, Sylvestre tries to locate where her disability lives within their family structure. Through her work, Sylvestre investigates the complicated edges of distinctions. What does hearing mean? What does deafness mean? What does disability mean? Where do these things begin and end?

Liza Sylvestre’s asweetsea is on show at John Hansard Gallery until 14 January 2023.

About the speakers:
Liza Sylvestre is a multimedia artist who lives and works in Illinois, USA. She is also currently Research Assistant Professor at the College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where she has co-founded the initiative Crip*: Cripistemology and the Arts.

Sarah Hayden is a writer and Associate Professor in Literature and Culture at the University of Southampton. She leads Voices in the Gallery, a 4-year research, curating, commissioning and writing project on intersections of voice, text, and access in contemporary art.

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